


but he's such a pretty liar

by Swag_1_Fam_a_Lam



Series: Swag_1's Tumblr Prompts [3]
Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Fluff, M/M, No Angst, Prompt Fill, dating apps, online dating au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-20 12:04:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19991899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swag_1_Fam_a_Lam/pseuds/Swag_1_Fam_a_Lam
Summary: So maybe Matt didn't ask for Charlie to download the dating app on his phone, and maybe he didn't ask for him to set up the profile. But it's not so bad.Or it would be if only the cute guy he's matched with would believe that Matt isn't catfishing him.





	but he's such a pretty liar

**Author's Note:**

> For the anon who requested: acciari/grzelcyk dating app au where gryz's friends set him up on grindr or something and he matches with non hockey player acciari except acciari thinks he's being catfished or something?
> 
> I love you and your fabulous mind!
> 
> Enjoy this prompt fill!
> 
> Cheers!

If he was asked, he’d say it was all Chucky’s fault, and to be fair he _is_ the one who suggested it. Matt however, did agree to the whole thing - although he was extremely drunk at the time, they all were. Out in a bar in the middle of Boston, celebrating a win against the Flyers, and the end of a successful homestand.

He’s not entirely sure how they got onto the conversation of online dating, or how Charlie got a hold of his phone but he’s pretty sure there had been shots involved. Lot’s of shots. 

“Matty,” Charlie slurs at him, “Why are there no hot pictures of you on your phone?”

“What?” He replies, offended in the way only the truly drunk can manage, “All pictures of me are hot pictures, have you seen me? I’m a stud.”

“No there’s not, these are all normal, where are the shirtless mirror pics? You can’t have a dating profile without one of those. ”

Matt doesn’t take shirtless mirror pics because he’s the epitome of class and his mom raised him right. He says as much to Charlie who snorts and flips him off. 

“I’ve got tonnes of classy shirtless mirror pics,” He leans into Jake and grins sloppily at him, “Right Jakey?”

Jake, ever the loyal boyfriend, agrees, “Yeah babe, tonnes.”

Jake’s sloshed though, so Matt forgives him for his bad taste in what makes a good, classy photo. It’s fine, no one’s perfect.

Charlie finally manages to find some pictures he deems acceptable, and fills out the bio in such a way that only makes Matt want to jump off a cliff a little bit.

**_Matt. 25._ **

**_From Boston MA_ **

**_Defenseman for the NHL Boston Bruins_ **

**_I’m great on the ice, but I’m even better in bed, don’t worry though, I promise I’m good for more than a one timer._ **

And so with that, Matt has an online dating profile. He doesn’t expect to use it and figures, as he glares blearily at his phone the next morning, that when his hangover goes away he’ll just delete the damn app.

It’s not a big deal.

Except he doesn’t delete the app when he gets rid of the hangover, and he doesn’t delete it the next day either, or the day after that. It remains there, sandwiched between Instagram and the torch app, an unobtrusive reminder. Sure he hasn’t actually opened it, and frankly he has no idea if he’s actually matched with anyone but it still lingers on his phone anyway. 

Charlie asks at practice the next week if he’s put the app to good use at all, and Matt just blushes and mumbles out something amounting to ‘no fuck off’, which is an answer in and of itself.

When he does eventually get around to using it, it’s- it’s a lot. He’s not quite sure what he’d expected, but the frankly amazing amount of dick pics and hook up offers he’s received wasn’t it. 

They’re not even _good_ dick pics. He’s a little disappointed.

And okay, objectively he knew that most people used these apps to find one night stands, and that calling it a dating app was generous. But he’d hoped for something a little better than twenty or so guys sending some iteration of; ‘ _hey sexy wanna fuck?_ ’.

He still doesn’t delete it, and he checks every few days, blindly optimistic, at the messages he receives. There are a couple of guys he chats with beyond the usual ‘hi’, but it’s all stilted and clumsy, so he doesn’t pursue them any further than that.

He gets the message two weeks after Charlie first installs the app on his phone. 

**Noel**

_of all the guys on the bruins to use for catfish, you choose grzelcyk?_

Matt blinks at the message, because he’s not entirely sure what to do with that. He’s received texts from guys who’ve recognized him, and even from those who haven’t who’ve talked about hockey, but no one’s outright accused him of catfishing before. 

Curious, he clicks on the guys profile and it’s...well. Matt doesn’t necessarily have a type, but if he did then this guy would be it. He’s not conventionally attractive but there’s a strange prettiness to his face, and the muscles, fuck, the guy’s more built than some of his team mates. There’s even an adorable looking dog in some of the pictures, and who’s Matt to try to resist that?

The only catch, of course, is the ‘bruins fan’ written in the bio. Matt’s pretty sure hooking up with a fan is a terrible idea, that’s like, slightly famous person dating etiquette 101. 

He looks at the profile one more time and tells himself it’s not worth the trouble, that the sensible thing would be to leave it be.

**Matt**

_What’s wrong with grzelcyk? I bet loads of people would use him to catfish_

Well, no one’s ever said he was sensible.

**Noel**

_So you admit you’re not him? Pretty sure catfish is against the law dude_

_Also there’s nothing wrong with grzelcyk, dudes fucking hot_

_Especially with the playoff beard? I’d smash that_

**Matt**

_I’m not catfishing though, i am actually matt grzelcyk_

**Noel**

_Riiiiiight_

_Why would an nhl player use a dating app?_

**Matt**

_Dating doesn’t automatically become easier because ur in the nhl, also wouldn’t a catfish go with like, debrusk or kuraly?_

**Noel**

_Weren’t you literally just arguing that people would use grzelcyk as catfish?_

_Also, as i said, he’s totally hot_

**Matt**

_I’m not catfishing u, but thanks? I guess_

He tells Charlie the next time he sees him when they’re getting lunch after practice, and of course he thinks the whole thing’s hilarious, “He seriously thinks you’re catfishing him?”

“Yeah,” Matt pushes the remainder of his fries around the plate, “I’m pretty sure he’s convinced I’m a 40 year old perv.”

“And he’s still messaging you anyway?” Charlie smirks at him, “Sounds kinky if you ask me.”

Matt throws a fry at him and wonders why he thought Charlie was a good person to talk to about this, he knew he should have gone to Sean instead.

  


They play against Florida and whilst it’s not Matt’s best game, they still end up winning. Chara gives them a speech afterwards about working harder next time, Bruce tells them when the next practice is and the boys blast music so loud his ears hurt. Nothing new there.

What is new however, is the message he finds in his inbox when he gets back to his apartment.

**Noel**

_If you were the real matt grzelcyk i would tell you that even i could have got that empty netter_

_But you’re not so I won’t_

**Matt**

_You noticed that huh?_

**Noel**

_I always notice what grzelcyk does on the ice, he’s fun to watch_

_Also it was a pretty obvious fuck up :)_

**Matt**

_So am I ur favorite on the bruins then? If you like watching me play so much_

**Noel**

_Are you still keeping up this act? I told you it’s probably illegal_

**Matt**

_I’m not catfishing u, i’ll prove it_

The lighting in his living room isn’t great for selfies, and the tv throws blue and pink flashes across his face, but he’s willing to put up with it to stop the catfishing talk. He takes a few, chooses the one where he looks the most normal - a little grumpy looking but it’ll do - and sends it. 

**Noel**

_That’s fucking adorable_

Matt’s heart does something that feels like a mix of a somersault and a seizure, and it’s not a completely unpleasant sensation. He’s starting to think that maybe, just maybe, he’s convinced him. 

**Noel**

_So did you get that from facebook or instagram?_

Or maybe not.

**Matt**

_I literally just took it, that’s me on my couch watching tv_

Noel sends him the moon face emoji in return and Matt almost launches his phone at the wall. He doesn’t in the end, because he’s got a lot of restraint thank you very much, and also because that phone was expensive and he doesn’t want to buy a new one just yet.

**Matt**

_Nvm_ _,_ _u never said your favorite player_

**Noel**

_The only correct answer here is Bergeron_

**Matt**

_:(_

**Noel**

_Sucks to suck man_

And somehow, over the course of the next few weeks, messaging Noel becomes a habit. It starts off with jokes, they chirp and insult each other, and Noel will send critiques of every game even though he maintains that he’s still being catfished. 

But then it turns into more serious stuff. Matt learns that Noel runs an animal shelter with his friend Chris on the outskirts of Boston, and that his dog from the photos on his profile is called Thor. He’d rescued him as a puppy and hadn’t been able to find it in himself to give the Golden up for adoption. He learns that whilst Noel lives here in Boston and considers it his home, he was born and grew up in Rhode Island. He learns that he used to play hockey when he was in college, but quit halfway through because his parents didn’t think it was a viable career choice.

**Matt**

_We could have ended up playing against each other, if you hadn’t quit_

It’s a joke, but it’s also uncomfortably close to the truth too. Noel had gone to Providence College, and there’s every chance that they would have met at some point if he’d continued playing hockey, and likely would played against each other in the NCAA finals in 2015.

Charlie jokes that it sounds like some universal destiny crap, and Matt doesn’t totally believe in that stuff, but he can’t help wonder if there might be something to it. Even just a little bit.

  


**Matt**

_So are u going to spend the evening on ur couch waiting to see if i make a mistake again?_

_Because these reviews are killing me man, even coach isn’t this harsh_

**Noel**

_You love them_

_But nah, i’m gonna do that shit live this time_

**Matt**

_ur going to a game? u should have said i could have got u free tickets_

**Noel**

_Maybe if u were the real grzelcyk, ur not though_

_But dw i still think ur cute even if u are 40 years old_

**Matt**

_:)_

_That’s a bit weird tho_

**Noel**

_You’re right, shit_

_forget I said anything_

  


They’re leading halfway through the second, and during the tv break he takes a minute as he waits by the bench to look out over the crowd. Somewhere out there is Noel, who may or may not believe that Matt from the dating app is actually Matt Grzelcyk from the Bruins, but whatever. He’s still here, and the thought causes something warm to pool in his belly.

He has a fucking fantastic game, at least that’s what everyone tells him. A goal, an assist and some spectacular defense gets him first star of the night, and if maybe he was extra motivated to play well today, that’s nobody’s business but his own.

**Matt**

_Didn’t miss the net tonight_

**Noel**

_I saw, was a sexy goal too_

_Shame it wasn’t actually you_

**Matt**

_Jesus christ, what do I have to do to prove that I’m actually matt grzelcyk_

**Noel**

_I’d have to see for myself_

_You should treat me to a coffee with your nhl money some time_

And here’s the thing, Matt wants to do this, he does, he wants to meet this guy on the other side of the phone. He’s not scared to do it, he’s 90% sure he’s not being catfished himself and Noel is not only nice, but funny, he keeps weird hours just like Matt does and he knows a lot about hockey. 

He’s also fairly sure that Noel means this in a date way, or at least he hopes so. They flirt and they talk about everything and anything, Matt doesn’t even message some of his best friends as much as he does Noel. 

But there’s a roadie coming up, the California leg, and it’s a longer one than usual. Coffee will have to wait until after that.

**Matt**

_I have a road trip coming up, I won’t be here for over a week_

_But after that, I’ll take you for coffee with my nhl money_

**Noel**

_It’s a date_

He then, once again, sends several lines of moon emoji’s and Matt wonders if maybe he should be questioning his taste in men. 

  
  


It’s raining, and Matt’s sitting on the sidewalk half drunk and soaking wet. His coat, along with his wallet and train pass has been stolen by Charlie and instead of calling him or one of his team mates, he calls Noel.

Like with many things as of late, it’s all Charlie’s fault. It’s almost Jake’s birthday, and because there’s a game on the actual day, they’d all decided to go out and celebrate that evening instead. There had been a lot of alcohol involved - again - maybe more so than usual to make up for the lack of celebration when they’d come back from the California road trip. And whilst he wasn’t as smashed as usual, he was still drunk enough that when Charlie had appropriated his coat under the pretense of being cold, and then subsequently went home still wearing it, Matt hadn’t even thought twice about getting it back off him.

A decision, he dearly regrets.

He stares at the contact page for a while, debating whether or not it’s a good idea to call a guy he met online who he hasn’t actually met yet. Logically, the best thing to do here would be call one of his teammates and demand Charlie return his wallet or at the very least pay for an uber. But he’s freezing, the little bit of cover he’s managed to find out on the street isn’t doing a great job at keeping him dry and his drunken brain doesn’t _want_ Charlie. 

He dials the number. 

It rings several times, and he wonders if it’ll just go through to answerphone, but eventually Noel picks up.

“Matt?” He says and Matt can hear talking, loud in the background, “Why are you calling me, are you alright?”

His voice isn’t like what he’d been expecting, it’s soft, calming, but there’s the distinctive accent there too. It’s nice, Matt thinks he’d be able to go to sleep listening to that voice, and he’s surprised by how much he likes that idea.

“Matt? Is everything okay?” Noel sounds concerned, and he realises he’s just been standing there, not talking.

“No it’s-I’m fine, well, I mean- I’m sorry to bother you.”

“You’re not bothering me, I just wasn’t expecting you to call.” There’s less noise on Noel’s end now, he must have moved to a quieter spot away from whatever he was doing.

“I’m uh,” He fumbles with the words and wonders if this was a good idea, “I was out with some of the guys but they took off with my coat and it had my wallet and all my stuff in it and now I have no way to get home.”

He says it all a bit too fast, but Noel just laughs softly, “Woah, slow down there, I can come pick you up if you want?”

“You don’t have to, I can ca-”

“It’s chucking it down out there Matt, it’s not a problem. I can’t let you get hypothermia before I get my nhl money funded coffee can I?”

“Okay,” He says through chattering teeth, “Okay yeah, if you don’t mind”

He gives Noel the address of the bar and hangs up with the instructions to keep out of the rain and the assurance that he’ll only be twenty minutes tops. 

The wind changes direction, pushing the rain into his face, but he can’t bring himself to care. The feeling in his fingers is gone, and his feet are numb from the cold. He hears a car approach, but it stops down the block so he doesn’t bother moving, it’s only been ten minutes anyway.

“Holy shit.” Matt looks up from the pavement when he hears the voice, “You weren’t lying.”

Noel looks exactly like he does in his pictures, not that Matt doubted whether he had been telling the truth, even with his face half cast in shadow from where his umbrella blocks the streetlight.

“Hi.” He says quietly, brushing damp hair out his eyes, “It’s uh, it’s really me.”

“Hey,” Noel smiles crookedly at him, “You know when I said I wanted to meet you I didn’t mean like this.”

“Sorry, I was planning on meeting you at some point, I promise.”

“Don’t apologize, I didn’t mean it like that,” Noel nods down the street, “Come on, my car’s down the block, you look freezing.”

Matt is, in fact, freezing. He can feel the droplets of water running down his back in icy rivers, and his shirt is completely stuck to his skin. Noel though, is a warm presence against his side as they walk back to the car, pressed close together under the umbrella. 

Even with the heating ramped up onto full, Noel still offers him his coat once they’re in the car, and Matt’s too tired and too cold to do much more than a token protest. 

“Take it, you don’t really want to explain that you can’t play tomorrow because you have hypothermia.” So he does, wraps it around himself and shoves his fingers against the vents on the dash, letting the warm air do its job. 

“So do you want dropping off at your place? If you don’t mind me knowing where that is I guess.” 

Matt’s about to nod and give the address when he remembers that his keys had been in his coat pocket, the same coat that Charlie had taken with him. He swears under his breath, “Shit, my keys, they were in my coat.”

“Alright,” Noel says mildly, “Do you have a friend who wouldn’t mind you crashing at theirs? Or you could stay over at mine instead?” 

Here’s the part where Matt should tell him he’ll go to Sean’s or Charlie's or whatever and then set up a coffee date or something so they could do this properly. That’d be the sensible thing to do. What Matt is learning is that he's not the most sensible when it comes to the man next to him.

“It’s a bit late for most of my friends, if you don’t mind me staying at yours then-”

“I wouldn’t offer if I minded,” He smiles at Matt, it’s a nice smile, warm even with the couple of missing teeth, “And it’s the least I can do after accusing you of catfishing me a million times.”

“At least you believe me now, I don’t think I could have made it more obvious.”

Noel shrugs, “I mean I was kinda getting there anyway, I just wanted to meet you to be sure. Although I didn’t think it would be like this.”

“No,” Matt agrees, “Thanks though, for doing this, you didn’t have to.”

“I wasn’t just going to leave you out in the rain with no way home.”

Matt thinks back to the background noise in the phone call, “I didn’t interrupt anything important though right?”

“No, I was at Chris’, we were celebrating, but I was going to head home soon anyway.” It’s a bald faced lie and they both know it, but Matt appreciates it all the same.

“Celebrating?” He asks instead, watching as Noel’s face lights up at the question. Matt’s suddenly bowled over by the desire to put that expression on Noel’s face again and again and again.

“Yeah, we rescued five dogs this week, and almost 15 animals were adopted, so we decided to celebrate.”

“Oh yeah?

“We also recently got a litter of puppies, I’ll have to take you there sometime, if you’d like?”

Matt had already known he liked Noel, the almost constant messaging the past month or so was proof enough of that. But even if he hadn’t, there was no way he could have made it through this evening without falling a little bit in love with the guy. 

He finds that he doesn’t really mind. 

“Yeah,” He says, and he doesn’t even try to tamp down the grin that’s threatening the corners of his mouth, “I think I’d like that.”

  


**Author's Note:**

> I might write a small epilogue to this one, maybe of the two of them the next day having breakfast or something? If you’re interested let me know with a comment or drop me a line on my tumblr: keep-calm-and-bergeron
> 
> Idk, anyway i love this pairing, so thank you anon for giving me an excuse to write them <3
> 
> This has now infact been edited by yours truly, so uh, less mistakes now I hope
> 
> Comments and kudos are adored!
> 
> Cheers!


End file.
